Rechargeable energy storage systems for motor vehicles are assembled by electrically connecting together a plurality of individual battery cells. For example, lithium-ion battery cells typically include a soft housing pouch having a positive terminal and a negative terminal extending outwardly from the pouch. These battery cells are stacked in a battery case to bring the positive terminals together and the negative terminals together, thereby creating a stack of terminals to make a parallel electrical connection between the individual cells. Each terminal must have a precise bent shape in order to properly connect with the adjacent terminals and enable the subsequent ultrasonic welding together of the terminal stacks.
It would be desirable to provide a new and improved method for precise and economical bending of the battery pouch terminals in a manner that safeguards against injury to the pouches and prevents the inadvertent flow of electric current between the positive and negative terminals during the manufacturing operations.